# Business is hiring, but won't say who they are **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808 "2010-03-25T22:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/1 "2010-03-25T22:40:48Z")
When I used to look in the want ads in the paper I would notice this sometimes, and today, looking through craigslist I noticed it again > [@](#): > > A highly respected company is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Trainee Admin Assistant to join their team. A great opportunity to start your career in a lively office environment, the applicant will be responsible for giving adequate admin support. The right candidate should have a good standard of education, a pleasing and good IT skills. If they’re highly respected then why not give their name? I’m not asking about this ad in general, I’m asking about the practice of giving a description like “A highly respected company is seeking,” or, “A top Fortune 500 company is seeking,” instead of, “Coca-Cola is seeking,” or “IBM is seeking,” or something like that. My instinct is that they aren’t well known or respected at all and it’s a trick, but maybe some of you know of highly respected companies that have done ads like this. So, what’s the straight dope on this? ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/2 "2010-03-25T22:46:19Z")
In my experience most ads of this type are placed by employment agencies. They won’t name the company as they don’t want you to contact them directly (and cut out their commission). ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/3 "2010-03-25T23:18:44Z")
Blind box ads can mean, as the above poster said, an employment agencies or they’re doing layoffs and don’t want their employee(s) to know the axe is about to fall ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/4 "2010-03-25T23:29:40Z")
In addition, any company putting their name in the ad will be inundated with phone calls and walk-ins. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/5 "2010-03-25T23:36:48Z")
Or the company may be something like Cutco Knives, or Kirby Vacuum Cleaners, or other cretins that expect you to provide the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of 30-40 of your closest friends so somebody else can sell them crap and take all the commission therefor, while you are “in training”. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/6 "2010-03-25T23:41:34Z")
Good answers. I didn’t think of some of them, although what you said has occurred to me **Oakminster** , which is why I usually avoid responding to such ads. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/7 "2010-03-26T00:43:27Z")
Ads like that make me think “Herbalife” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/8 "2010-03-26T09:00:03Z")
Sometimes it’s employment agencies, but there is no real job (they just want to sign up loads of job-seekers of a particular skillset, so they can be ready to strike first when a real job does come on the market). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/9 "2010-03-26T09:25:00Z")
The company I work for did this once when they were employing for several positions related to a contract that had not been finalised. They wanted to maintain as much secrecy as they could for commercial reasons but they also needed to hire people in good time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/10 "2010-03-26T09:45:29Z")
Some companies do it as a matter of general policy, simply to avoid the walk-ins, phone calls, workers bringing their pal’s resume, etc. Mind you, “Chemical company in Houston” doesn’t mean much; “Chemical company in Smith-Blanchard Crossing” there is probably only one… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/11 "2010-03-26T12:45:32Z")
> [@](#): > > …the applicant will be responsible for giving adequate admin support. The right candidate should have…a pleasing \_\_ A pleasing appearance? “Adequate admin support”? What sort of position is involved? Horizontal? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-is-hiring-but-wont-say-who-they-are/533808/12 "2010-03-26T14:11:04Z")
There are a couple of reasons a company will do this. 1. They haven’t told the person they are replacing yet and don’t intend to do it until the time. 2. They know that X person will apply as soon as the job is posted and they are purposely trying not to let that person apply. X is most likely a friend of someone who is giving them trouble. 3. They don’t want the competition to know they are hiring. My company has used all three reasons.